Posted by on 21. Mai 2018

Many thanks to all my participants – human and animal alike.

Reitunterricht Almut Pook
On the weekend we offered a course about gentle physiological riding in Aerzen and gained a lot of interest.
Horses with osteotherapeutic challenges, some of which were previously considered unyielding and have passed an odyssey of veterinarians and hospital stays.

Franzi und Ali

Kathi and Almeida

I am very happy that these horses are running under their riders again and that they had so much joy in our course.
Riders who thought they could no longer gallop because of their horses’ illness sat on their galloping horses beaming with joy.

Franzi Galopp mit Goofy

Franzi and “Goofy”

What I also like is that we have found so many riders for our course who care so much about the welfare of their horses. Even if something didn’t work right away, our participants analysed and criticised their seat, their aids and their influence before even thinking of blaming their horse.
Great praise to all, because unfortunately this is not self-evident in today’s equestrianism.
When a horse doesn’t turn, you fiddle around with the bit. If it does not go forward, whip or spurs are used. How many participants in an A-dressage can be seen today without spurs, although these are requirements that a healthy, correctly trained horse should be able to perform under a good rider without any compulsion.

Our intention was to show that even with horses with osteopathic handicaps you can ride with a correct seat and gentle aids and above all in a position that is physiological for horses. And that it is possible to train these horses again with patience, knowledge about their needs and anatomy and an accompanying osteotherapeutic treatment.

Goofy

Goofy

Maybe they won’t become a Grand Prix dressage horse, but a horse I can ride without lameness for free time. Most of them can be presented tactfully, in balance and in fine contact and physiological posture in the lower classes at tournaments. These are the requirements that should be asked for in these classes.
Instead you will find half-heartedly collected horses in wrong neck positions and with a sagging back that are unable to walk a straight line or a correct turn.
However, because they show – still – good movements, which speaks more for high-quality “horse material” than for the ability of the riders, these pairs go home with high value notes, while a horse presented correctly according to LPO “withtin their abilities” (quotation) is depriciated.

Stangenarbeit Jenna

Cavaletti-Training Jenna

Surely this is not possible with every horse that is diagnosed as lame. Nevertheless, osteotherapy – in conjunction with a sensible riding style – is a therapy that opens up an unexpected number of possibilities.
And even “healthy” horses, if one could ask them about it, would not be averse to regular accompanying osteotherapy. However hard we try to ride properly or breed horses that meet our requirements more and more, the strain of the rider’s weight is not physiological for the horse’s back.

Conclusion:

As the name Aid says, it should be an offer to our horse to walk in one direction or to carry out a lesson. And no coercive measure.
Unfortunately, it still seems to be a problem to buy a saddle that fits the horse, which is apparently due to a lack of “qualified personnel”.

schiefer Sattel

Saddle recently upholstered by a professional saddler

They still exist, horsemen and -women, who hold on to one horse with a lot of patience and feeling and don’t change horses like their wardrobe, if something doesn’t work as they imagined it would.

Sarah

Sarah

Also many thanks to the team of Aktivstall Miserre in Aerzen, who provided us with their riding arena and course room for 2 days.
We were friendly received with our course and our foreign participants with their horse miraculous accommodated and supplied.
Despite a relatively large number of horses, the facility radiates an unsurpassed calm, which is due to the keeping principle and the untiring commitment of the team there. We all felt very comfortable.